Ava DuVernay to Direct 'Battle of Versailles'
"Selma's" Ava DuVernay is co-writing and directing HBO's fashion film "Battle of Versailles" a film on the greatest fashion battle in history. It tells the story of the historical fashion show in 1973 where American and French designers competed against each other. The competition was dominated by the Americans but was instrumental in breaking racial barriers, with eleven of 30 winning models being African American. A book was written on the battle by fashion journalist Robin Givhan entitled, "The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled into the Spotlight and Made History."
Givhan stated in her interview with Harper's Bazaar, "That particular show could not have happened at that particular time, in any other way."
The author called the battle "a stunning moment in the fashion history." The French designers considered best in the world who joined the competition were Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, Emmanuel Ungaro, and Christian Dior's Marc Bohan. The Americans consisted of Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Anne Klein, Halston, and Stephen Burrows. The event was attended by famous personalities as Andy Warhol, Josephine Baker, and the Princess of Monaco.
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However, there has been what is called a "whitewashing" of the fashion industry had been noted of late. In 2014, models of color were features in only 119 of 611 covers. Diversity had become nil in fashion which, some believe, is why DuVernay was slated to take the directorial lead on this important film.
DuVernay herself, whose film "Selma" had been nominated as Best Picture did not get a nomination as Best Director. Even Hollywood seems guilty of whitewashing and lack of recognition for people of color who have excelled in their field.
According to DuVernay on Huffington Post, "There has been no precedent for a black woman to be nominated for best director, so why was it going to change with me?"
Needless to say, the film is in good hands with Duvernay.
